Despite the crowds and overpriced drinks, I’ve always loved live events—especially concerts. I used to head to a show in whatever cheap shoes I happened to have and no ear protection, then pay for it the following day with achy feet and ringing in my ears. Now, as a woman in her 30s, I make sure to wear shoes that are actually good for standing and, most importantly, keep my Loop Experience earplugs on me at all times.
I’ve used these earplugs for the last three years, testing them at events in huge arenas, shows in smaller neighborhood venues, and even pro wrestling matches. I even briefly recommended them to SELF readers in a quick blurb on our site, but don’t worry—I have so much more to say.
The design
Never in my life did I think I’d call a pair of earplugs “cool,” but that’s truly what I think of Loop’s Experiences. They’re very small, with an insertable, earbud-like tip and a little ring (or loop) that sits outside the opening of your ear. The ring contains an acoustic channel and filter to reduce noise, making performances sound clearer and crisper.
To be clear, these earplugs won’t totally block out surrounding sounds, but they will reduce them (Loop’s Quiet earplugs, which SELF has also recommended, are the better choice if you really want to tune out). And they don’t stick out or attract much attention at all—if someone looked at your ears from a distance, it’d look a bit like you had tragus piercings.
My ear holes are exceptionally small (no Airpods for me, thanks), so the fact that Loop provides four different sizes of ear tip covers with the plugs themselves is a major plus—you can also easily order more tips when you need to replace your old ones. The covers are made of soft silicone and fit comfortably inside my ear. Putting the plugs in is as easy as putting in a pair of regular earbuds, and I’ve never felt them shift or slip around (no matter how vigorously I nodded, swayed, or boogied).
Loop’s Experience earplugs are definitely more expensive than those moldable ones you get in a pack of 20—one pair costs $35. But, unlike the disposable little guys, these are made to last for years. As I mentioned, I bought mine three years ago and they’re still going strong.
The effect
The Experience earplugs don’t just dampen the overall volume of the room—they bring the performance into focus and shift other sources of noise into the far background. I was initially concerned that they’d create internal feedback, or the thumping sound that sometimes comes with earbuds or foam earplugs, but they’re so light that I don’t think they apply enough pressure to do so. My verdict: They create a permeable seal around my ear, so I can leave concerts feeling like I got to take in every note (minus the post-show tinnitus).
